If you think that a Netflix Limited Series (7 episodes) which is all about the game of chess is likely to be extremely boring, then you are in for a surprise. I would not normally go for a series like this, being a very poor chess player myself, but I watched a trailer for the series purely by accident, and it piqued my interest straight away. And yes, the series focuses very heavily on the game of chess. But like I said, it is not boring in the least.
Based on the 1983 novel by Walter Tevis, the series can credit its success to an excellent script, which manages to bring out the suspense in the chess games very well, (hard to imagine, I know, when key players are sitting motionless over their pieces most of the time, but somehow they manage it), and some stunning performances by young actors, notably Anya Taylor-Joy, who plays the lead character, Beth Harmon. Other standout performances come from Thomas Brodie-Sangster (Jojen Reed in Game of Thrones) and Harry Beltik. These young people certainly know how to act.
The series begins with a young Beth at the scene of a car accident which killed her mother. Alone in the world (we do not get to know about her natural father until later), she is taken to an orphanage. It is here that she starts to play chess with the school janitor, Mr Shaibel. Before long, she is outplaying her tutor, and becomes completely obsessed with the game. As a teenager, she is adopted by a childless couple, and is then able to further her chess career, particularly when her newly adopted father is clearly not enamoured with her and decides to leave. Her mother then takes on the role of Beth’s agent and they travel the country together; Beth winning tournament after tournament. On the way, she meets – and beats – many accomplished players, until she comes up against Benny Watts (Thomas Brodie-Sangster) who beats her at her own game. The story goes on – her mother dies suddenly and she is alone again, but she manages to acquire the family home from her estranged father.
Soon she is travelling the world as an accomplished chess player; but one player stands out in her mind – current world champion, Vasily Borgov. He beats her twice before they meet again in the World Championships in Moscow, where their final showdown is held.
This is not just a story about chess, but also about addiction, loneliness and finding oneself. Beth is addicted to tranquilisers, having been fed them daily at the orphanage, and also, like her adopted mother, becomes very dependent on alcohol. She comes close to wrecking her life and her friendships, but she pulls herself back and, with the help of friends she thought she had lost on the way, puts her life back on track and realises that she is not alone after all.
It is hard to imagine a series about chess having excellent graphics, but my favourite parts are where she visualises the game with a chessboard on the ceiling. Initially, these visions were induced by the tranquilisers, but in her final game against Borgov, she manages it without the pills, proving to herself and her audience that she really can live without the drugs.
Yes, it may seem like an unusual subject matter to get excited about, but The Queen’s Gambit manages to do exactly that. Apart from the chess, there is also a certain amount of nostalgia in the series, as it is set mainly in the 1960s, in what seems like a long-ago bygone age. Definitely worth a look, whether you are excited about the game of chess or not.
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